My latest work has two parts. I spent twice the usual amount of time to paint these two pieces at the same time. My goal here was to use the same colour scheme to carry across two landscapes.

In the end, I created “Terror Beach” (right) and “Call out to the Universe” (left).

When set side by side, the sweeping brush strokes seem to begin in the lower right hand corner and fly out to the left.

The dripping violet that emerges from the conical horizon in “Terror Beach” creates an eerie setting. There is a ghostly apparition of a sun or moon above the mountains that does little to illuminate the texture rich darkness that encroaches from the eastern skyline. And yet, somehow, there is a mysterious shape below the waters that edge the mountainous horizon.

“Call Out to the Universe” has a similar mysterious message; begging the question of who calls out to whom in the vast emptiness? An unfamiliar object is answering the call.

This recent work was a thrill for me. I enjoyed the story telling aspect as much as creating the actual painting itself.

You can check out the listing for sale on my Etsy page by clicking here.

Recently, I completed a commissioned art work that features green, silver, and blue acrylic.

Remembering the old advice I received once: “If you want to be good at something you must always practice, practice practice!”

As a result, I have been using store bought canvas for my day to day practice. When I am ready to create a higher quality piece, I still prefer to use the canvas that I custom make. When I make my own canvas I use 100% heavy cotton canvas, I stretch it over thick 2 x inch wood, and I triple prime the canvas with gesso.

Unless an artist is paying for the highest premium canvas available, the level of quality I get from making my own canvas is unparalleled. As I have mentioned before, when an artist is unrestricted by the high costs of supplies and materials their creativity is able to reach heights that the average person can only dream of.

That being said, my latest commissioned work:

This untitled piece is 10 x 10 inches and has been painted on store bought canvas.

It is essentially a blend of colours with sharp splatters of silver. This piece is very abstract and was mainly a focus of colour composition rather than form.

It is a slight departure from my usual work, but I really enjoyed the way it developed.

It is October and Autumn is upon us in Ontario Canada, yet my latest artwork has a warm tropical vibe.

It reminds me of a golden coral reef scattered across a perfect tropical sea. As with all of my art, I encourage discussion regarding what is depicted in the painting. Abstract art has the opportunity to become much more personal to the viewer/owner when there are no constrictions on the concept of what is being depicted.

The gold and iridescent turquoise in this work provides for a reflective surface, and so depending on the point of incidence (the angle at which the light hits the surface) the vibrancy of the colours can be increased or diminished.

This is a very special piece. It exhibits texture, reflective surface, and an abstract representation of shapes. With a beautiful frame, this piece would add a serene calmness to any cherished space.

I frequently represent the sun in my art work. It adds a heavy presence and deep meaning to my art. Sometimes the subject is an abstract of an earthly landscape, and other times not. One of the things that I enjoy the most about creating art is the feedback I get from other people describing what they see. Art is truly as subjective as they say, and so I think the meaning, impression and other descriptors of a piece must change depending on who is looking. I love the sun. To me, my latest work is an island sun.

Such a beautiful combination to have blue, green and yellow splashes representing the sun.

This 13 x 13 inch acrylic on gallery canvas is called Clarendon, and is the latest of my Fall 2018 series.

I was browsing through the Canadian Tire website looking for a fire pit to replace my old one when I found this:

The design and shape caught my eye as there is something alluring about flames in a box. My old fire pit was more conventional. Circular with a basic lid. It lasted me four season before it completely rusted into a pile of metal. I blame myself for buying a cheap fire pit, but also for storing it poorly over the cold months…and by saying that I actually mean not storing it at all. I left it out to the elements without so much as a basic cover to drape over to prevent the onset of rust.

A basic cover for most of these generic brand fire pits is virtually never included. So, I decided to make my own.

I measured the sides in inches with a measuring tape.

I took notice of the pyramid-like shape to taper off the top of the box shape.

Using my serger, I attached all 4 pieces together.

To finish I attached a 13 x 13 inch square top to enclose the piece.

Now I have a simple cover for my fire pit. These steps can be applied to many other patio accessories.

I started rummaging through the closets and found these two pieces from early 2015.

They were made at a time when I was just starting out. Self expression on canvas (that I had made from scratch).

The primary goal was not to create art per se. The primary goal of making art was to see how many variations of colour experimentation I could do; the trick was that by making the canvas from scratch I would save oodles of cash!

“The average cost of buying canvas from retailers like Curry’s, DeSerres, or Michael’s Craft Store is anywhere from $20-$70 per canvas depending on the size. I was able to make sizes as large as 96 inches x 48 inches for less than $30.”

In earlier posts I have sung the praises of making art canvas.

I have even done tutorial videos on Youtube that you can find {here} and {here}.

This Christian Louboutin inspired apron is both sexy and traditional at once.

“Plush black material is lined by smooth crimson to create a peekaboo styled apron. On one side it is a black apron; on the other it you a glimpse of a daring red lining. Very innocuous, and very sexy.”

White cotton frills line the top and bottom to finish this apron off with a traditional French Maid style.

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I am a professional artist, textile designer, and blogger. I live in Canada with my husband and daughter. I have a passion for meeting people and creating new things. Share my adventures by following my blog at anieksteph.com powered by Wordpress. You can link to my Etsy shop to purchase my creations, or you can purchase from my site with PayPal Simple Payments. Enjoy!